20 



COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



[Jan. 



perfect condition. Together with the biological collections 

 of the Museum, this branch of the collection is a very prom- 

 inent one, and, so far as I know, unsurpassed, — I can say, 

 unrivalled. With the help of Mr. Trowbridge, all alcoholic 

 objects are arranged in vials, with rubber stoppers. The 

 large addition by the collection of Prof. Rosenhauer, and the 

 considerable addition of the last year, necessitates a new 

 arrangement of the biological collection. The BomhycidcB, 

 ^octuidce and Geomeiridoe, are arranged by myself, and fill 

 more than two cabinets. 



In January, Mr. E. Schwarz arranged some families of the 

 United States Coleojptera, 



The alarming and rather perplexing condition in which the 

 collection of the Longicorns had been left by Mr. Crotch 

 made a new arrangement of them unavoidable. It took nearly 

 three months to arrange them. The collection of Longicorns 

 of the United States was arranged at the same time. Instead 

 of 3,500 specimens bought from DeyroUe, there are at pres- 

 ent — including all that the Museum possessed before — only 

 1,850 determined, and about 600 species not named. 



During the winter months a large number of Himalaya 

 Lepidojptera have been spread by Miss Clark. At the present 

 time she is pinning and labelling the alcoholic Coleoptera. 

 The exchanges with a number of entomologists in the United 

 States and Europe were quite considerable. 



A synopsis of the Odonata of America was published in 

 the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. A 

 course of lectures on general entomology is given in the winter 

 months. 



The summer of 1875 has been a very favorable one for 

 insects. It was one of those 3^ears which appear from time 

 to time, often separated by intervals of many years, when a 

 large number of rare species are taken. In the course of this 

 summer the collection has been augmented by more rarities 

 of North American insects than in several years put together. 



In the exhibition-rooms the cabinets for the insects are 

 nearly filled. 



